The Times has publicly apologised to FIFA president Gianni Infantino after levelling a string of accusations against him in recent weeks.
In an article published on 13 October, the British newspaper made several claims against the FIFA president. Chief among them was the allegation that the Swiss official was pocketing a second salary from football's world governing body, one that had never been officially declared.
The Times later retracted that claim. "There was never a second salary," the paper acknowledged, explaining that the expenses and reimbursements Infantino receives do not count as remuneration under Swiss law and therefore need not appear in FIFA's annual report.
The newspaper also corrected its claim that Infantino had bought a property in Miami at an abnormally low price. It signed off: "We apologise to Mr Infantino and FIFA for these errors".
FIFA wasted no time responding. In its statement, the governing body cast the episode as another chapter in a sustained campaign to tarnish the reputation of the organisation and its president.
"As FIFA stated in August, it is clear that some are making a coordinated and ongoing effort to discredit FIFA and its president," the statement read.
FIFA urged the media to check their facts more carefully, while stressing that it welcomes criticism grounded in established truth.
"Constructive criticism is welcome," the body insisted, "but such criticism cannot justify publishing false claims".
The governing body ended with a warning. It will keep confronting any publication it deems inaccurate or defamatory, all with Infantino ready to stand for re-election as FIFA president.